Advances in technology and innovation have changed medical science, resulting in efficient solutions for vision correction. A very common surgical procedure, LASIK eye surgery, has transformed a lot in recent years. It has revolutionized the concept of vision correction by significantly impacting the lives of millions of people.
Imagine waking up one day and no longer needing to wear glasses to read your daily newspaper or not having to carry them along every time you step out of your home. For many individuals, LASIK provides a lot of convenience without compromise. Clinics like Singh Vision always stay at the forefront of delivering the best results with the help of personalized care and advanced technology. However, just like every other surgery, it is important to be aware of what the procedure is, its associated benefits, and its risks.
When figuring out if LASIK eye surgery is best for you, this article discusses the procedure’s benefits, dangers, and what it requires.
Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis, a.k.a LASIK, is a surgical procedure for correcting farsightedness, nearsightedness, and astigmatism. The surgery reshapes the front layer of the eye called the cornea using an excimer laser. LASIK is very fast, with laser exposure of only a few seconds per eye and total procedure time of 15 min or less.
To reduce anxiety, patients are given light sedation. Many patients notice vision improvement within a few hours, and resume their regular activities within 48 hours.
Many patients gain 20/20 vision or greater, which lessens or eliminates their need for glasses and contacts. Because of advancements in laser technology, the treatment is now safer and more accurate than ever, and the results persist for a long time.
What Are The Risks Associated with LASIK Eye Surgery?
Although LASIK is usually regarded as safe and has a high success rate, there are risks involved. It is essential to understand these risks in order to make a wise decision.
Short-Term Risks:
- Vision Disturbances: Glare, halos surrounding lights, double vision, or heightened light sensitivity, particularly at night, are all possible visual disturbances. These symptoms almost always go away within a few days to weeks, but in rare cases they might impair vision in low light or while driving at night.
- Dry Eyes: This is the most common side effect, because of a temporary decrease in tear production after LASIK. This may result in pain and fluctuating vision, and lasts for up to six months after surgery. Eye drops are recommended to address this symptom; further therapies, such as tear duct plugs, can be required in more extreme situations.
Serious Risks:
- Corneal Ectasia is a serious condition in which the cornea becomes too thin and weak, bulging and distorting vision. In extreme cases, it may require further medical intervention or a corneal transplant. Fortunately in the modern era the incidence of post LASIK ectasia is almost zero not because it can’t happen but because we have created very sophisticated screening protocols and use very advanced imaging modalities to identify and then screen out patients with corneas susceptible to ectasia after LASIK.
- Regression: Some patients may notice their vision gradually returning toward their original prescription over time, potentially requiring enhancement surgery. The incidence of regression is always a function of the baseline level of refractive error. Meaning patients with a prescription of -10 will regress proportionally more then someone who goes into their LASIK procedure with a glasses prescription of -2. Some regression always happens. But at the lower prescriptions that are most amenable to LASIK correction, the magnitude of regression seen is comparatively minimal and patients report many years of durable and lasting vision correction.
Potential Complications
- Undercorrections and Overcorrections: There are instances when the laser might remove too much or too little corneal tissue. While overcorrections can be more difficult to correct, undercorrections could necessitate a follow-up operation to get the appropriate vision correction. Again with the passage of time, the incidence of these refractive misses has been reduced to single digits. Most high volume centers end up doing 1-2 retreatments per year at most.
- Astigmatism: Vision distortion or blurriness can result from astigmatism, which can be exacerbated by uneven corneal reshaping. Corrective lenses or further surgery may be required.
Flap Problems: LASIK eye surgery involves creating a thin flap on the cornea. Complications can occur during flap creation or healing, such as infection, inflammation, or abnormal tissue growth under the flap. Flap dislocation is also a risk if the eye experiences trauma even years after surgery.
Flap problems are always very undesirable but fortunately at Singh Vision we create flaps using only the best Femtosecond lasers (as opposed to the old style of manual flap creation which was prone to flap complications in the 1990s). By using a high speed laser to create a flap using a bladeless technique, the incidence of flap complications is now incredibly low. While Dr. Singh DOES routinely address and fix flap complications referred from the ER for patients in the community who had LASIK and then injure their eyes; the de novo incidence of Flap Complications during the primary LASIK procedure is now very close to 0.
